Proverbs 1

Every time I read Proverbs I notice something new. My sister and I are reading Proverbs through for the 3rd time in a row and each time different things stick out to us. This time I'm writing down my observations and thoughts about each chapter. Hopefully this will be an encouragement to you and feel free to join and read along with us too! I'd love to hear your insights/ thoughts and you can share by replying to this post or leaving a comment. 

Chapter 1 

 The purpose of Proverbs is to give knowledge and discretion. It's to give subtilty to the simple. Subtility is 'prudence, cleverness, and the ability to think wisely.'

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning - wisdom is the skill to live life successfully, and since we're always running into new situations in life, wisdom is an ongoing pursuit.  A wise person will stay teachable and desire to learn throughout his life. 

On the other hand, a fool despises knowledge. He is proud and morally stubborn who doesn't want to grow because growing means change and to change you need to be challenged. It's uncomfortable for a fool to be challenged so he'd rather stay in the comfort zone. 

 Verse 7 is key to getting knowledge: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. 

To fear God is to have an awe, honor, reverence for God. This is the starting point of gaining knowledge because he's the author of it all. Humble yourself before God and have a deep desire to live in a way that honors him. He must come first in life - not your will. 

Later on in the chapter we see wisdom personified as a woman. She's calling out in the streets and the chief places. See, wisdom is not hiding. She's available to any who will stop and listen. 

If we listen, wisdom will open our eyes. If we refuse it, we set ourselves up for bad consequences, and even if we decided to seek God after experiencing the consequences, it may be too late. Living by one's own wisdom gives emptiness, chaos, regret. But when one listens to God's voice - to wisdom - life can be peaceful, secure, and free from fear no matter what happens because God is always to be trusted.